Such a fun read although emotional at the same time. It’s written so lightly while touching such a profound subject. It made me laugh and cry.

Deirdre

A Fine read...

I read this book in one sitting,,,a beautiful read, captures the feeling of loneliness perfectly, writes beautiful meaning / feelings behind simple gestures like making a cup of tea for someone...I wished so much that Eleanor would find inner peace. Eleanor's character was described so well I felt I knew her and I think I do know people who experience loneliness in the same way as she felt it in the book and develop similar oddities that some of us find entertaining at best and weird at worst. The book had many hilarious elements however there was a continual undercurrent topic of isolation in the book that impacted a young lady that left her flat daily to go to work in a busy office...I found the book hopeful,,,small changes can help you move from A to B and its an adventure that people find fascinating, friendship can be there if we open our eyes and hearts to seen it...a fantastic book...I look forward to Gail Honeymans next book.

Bookwormatheart

Thought provoking

While I have to Admit I chose this book out of sheer luck, I am so glad that I did, i can honestly say that it was humorous, desperately sad at times and wonderfully thought provoking. I am ashamed to say that like most people I fall prey to judging others before giving them a chance, whether it be by how they dress, speak or even simply that they are different and not as society sees "normal". To me the story bought to the forefront that I should not be so quick to judge, and that something that I may class as insignificant could be important to others. I have never had a book impact me in quite away before (I have read thousands) and maybe it won't effect the next person to read it, but what I will take away personally is this, I won't be so quick to judge, I will try to give an act of kindness to somebody everyday whether that is just a smile when they need it or an ear if they just need to talk. Never again will I take for granted the loving family and network of support. Before anybody says I am well aware this is fiction and maybe you think that I am being a tad over zealous with my ramblings and that is probably true but either way it bought home a few home truths about the way we treat each other and maybe just maybe it will encourage us to treat each other a little kinder and a little more accepting.Sorry for the essay but thanks for the lesson x

Snail

Loved it

Best book I've read in ages.I love that Eleanor's quirky ways that make you cringe.... and love the way you slowly find out why she's like she is, as well as a great friendship that grows in the book.Just my kind of book.

Cloggie Downunder

brilliant debut novel

“Even the circus freak side of my face – my damaged half – was better than the alternative, which would have meant death by fire. I didn’t burn to ashes. I emerged from the flames like a little phoenix. I ran my fingers over the scar tissue, caressing the contours…. There are scars on my heart, just as thick, as disfiguring as those on my face. I know they’re there. I hope some undamaged tissue remains, a patch through which love can come in and flow out. I hope.”

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is the first novel by British author, Gail Honeyman. At thirty years of age, and despite her degree in Classics, Eleanor Oliphant has worked a mundane office job in By Design, a graphic design company in Glasgow for nine years. She has no friends and the people she works with find her strange. But her life is well organised: completely fine, in her opinion, needing nothing. Until, that is, she casts eyes on musician Johnnie Lomond.

Eleanor sets out to attract the love of her life, undergoing several preparatory procedures to ready herself for a potential encounter (waxing, hair, nails, make-up), as well as acquiring the electronic means to do some research on the object of her attention. She is distracted from her task by Raymond Gibbons, the firm’s (rather slovenly) IT consultant, who ropes her into helping an old man who has fallen in the street. Eleanor is sure he’s drunk but “…Even alcoholics deserve help, I suppose, although they should get drunk at home, like I do, so that they don’t cause anyone else any trouble. But then, not everyone is as sensible and considerate as me.”

Honeyman gives the reader a moving tale that includes a good dose of humour. Eleanor is a complex character: socially inept but generally unaware of it, often remarking on the lack of manners that others display: “’You don’t look like a social worker,’ I said. She stared at me but said nothing. Not again! In every walk of life, I encounter people with underdeveloped social skills with alarming frequency. Why is it that client-facing jobs hold such allure for misanthropes…”

Yet Eleanor is often insightful, although she can also be naïve: “After all, how hard could it be? … If I could perform scansion on the Aeneid, if I could build a macro in an Excel spreadsheet, if I could spend the last nine birthdays and Christmases and New Year’s Eves alone, then I’m sure I could manage to organize a delightful festive lunch for thirty people on a budget of ten pounds per capita”

Her literal interpretation of what people say often makes for laugh-out-loud moments, and her observations can be shrewd: “She had tried to steer me towards vertiginous heels again – why are these people so incredibly keen on crippling their female customers? I began to wonder if cobblers and chiropractors had established fiendish cartel.”

This brilliant debut novel touches on childhood neglect, physical cruelty and emotional abuse, as well as repressed memories and survivor guilt. It highlights the value of a skilled counsellor and the importance of care and understanding, friendship and love. Recommended!

Books that entertain, engage & enlighten

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends books that we believe to be best in class. Books that will whisk you to faraway places and times, that will expand your mind and challenge you -- the kinds of books you just can't wait to tell your friends about.

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info & giveaways by email.